Germany rest key players for Denmark friendly

BERLIN - Germany will rest their top players when they visit Denmark for a friendly next week, barely a month after finishing third in the World Cup.

Published

6 August 2010

Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Lukas Podolski, Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose were left out of the squad named by coach Joachim Low on Friday.

Only eight members of Low's 18-man squad were in South Africa, most of them as fringe players.

"After the World Cup and the lengthening of our contracts, it was always going to be the case that we would do without our most established players against Denmark," said Low, whose contract was extended for another two years after he returned from South Africa.

"We are aware of our responsibility for the form and health for the international players. So, after the great exertion of the World Cup, it is important for them to concentrate on their clubs and preparing well for the new season," Low added in a statement on the German federation website.